The Orlando Fire Department said Monday that three people, the pilot and two passengers, were killed in Sunday’s helicopter crash in the College Park area of Orlando.

Police identified the three victims shortly before 11 a.m. Monday:

  • Bruce Teitelbaum, pilot
  • Marsha Khan, pilot's wife
  • Harry Anderson, friend of pilot

The helicopter crashed into a guest house of a home on Alameda Street in the College Park section of Orlando around 2:15 p.m.

"This will stay with me like my entire life. I'll never forget this happened and my heart goes out to the people who died in the crash," said Catherine Kurtz, who said the guest house was part of her grandparents' home.

Kurtz said she was in her upstairs bathroom when she says she heard the loud whirl of the helicopter's engine. Then she said she heard a tremendous BOOM.

She ran outside in a panic because she says she knew something bad had happened. She said when she got outside her neighbors were yelling and running toward the wreckage with their garden hoses. The guest house above the garage was on fire.

Investigators said the helicopter, a Robinson R44, took off from HQ Aviation, LLC at the Orlando Executive Airport. HQ is a local helicopter training school and helicopter hire that operates out of a hangar at the airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are working to determine the cause of the crash.

Orlando Police Department investigators said there were several people inside the main house, but no one inside the guest residence at the time of the crash.

"We don't know what caused the accident, we just know the helicopter did go inside the guest house," said Sgt. Wanda Ford from the Orlando Police Department.

Residents inside the other area of the house weren't injured.

Neighbors who live in the area said they were shocked when the helicopter went crashing through the roof.

"I was driving down the road, and I just saw this helicopter and it was driving really low and the propeller was still going, but you could just tell that it was about to crash," said Emily Blomquist. “By the time I got to the street which was two streets up it had already hit the house and there was a huge cloud of smoke and people were running on the street. It was quite scary.”

"I heard this great 'whop, whop, whop,' followed by this boom. Then everything went dark," said Donn Carr.

The crash caused power outages to dozens of homes in the area. Orlando Utilities Commission said as of 5 a.m. Monday all power had been restored.